Preview: Blues at Canadiens

When: Saturday, Oct. 26 at 6 p.m. CT
Where: Bell Centre in Montreal
Watch: FanDuel Sports Network (previously Bally Sports)
Listen: 101 ESPN, Blues App

QUICK HITS

BLUES The St. Louis Blues (5-3-0) started their four-game road trip off strong with a 5-1 win over the Toronto Maple Leafs on Thursday.

Defenseman Philip Broberg opened the scoring early for the Blues with a blast from the blue line. The goal marked Broberg’s seventh point in eight games. Soon after, forward Dylan Holloway scored his first of the night to end the opening period 2-0.

Coming out of the first intermission, the Maple Leafs cut the lead to one before newcomer Alexandre Texier scored his first goal as a Blue to make it 3-1. The Blues ended the game with goals from Jake Neighbours and Holloway.

The Blues saw changes in the lineup with Oskar Sundqvist taking the ice in a game for the first time this season. Sundqvist had been out since March after suffering a torn ACL and undergoing surgery. Additionally, the Blues were without Robert Thomas after announcing on Wednesday that he would be sidelined for at least six weeks with a fractured ankle.

Goaltender Jordan Binnington, who recorded 40 saves against the Maple Leafs, voiced how proud he is of the team for overcoming adversity.

“We played hard. Obviously we lost one of our better players and it’s really, really good to see everyone not skip a beat, and just play hard, and play our game and believe in each other to get the job done,” Binnington said. “And that was a great team win tonight.”

The Blues will make their second stop in Canada on their four-game road trip on Saturday when they face the Canadiens.

CANADIENS The Montreal Canadiens (2-4-1) are looking for their first win in five games after coming off a 7-2 loss against the New York Rangers on Tuesday.

The Canadiens had a slow start Tuesday night, giving up four goals in the first 11 minutes of the game. Center Nick Suzuki finally put the Canadiens on the board to cut the lead to three. Entering the second, Suzuki scored another before the Rangers finished the game with three more tallies.

The biggest offseason move for the Canadiens was acquiring former Columbus Blue Jacket Patrik Laine. However, during the preseason, it was announced that Laine would miss two-to-three months due to a left knee sprain.

The Canadiens finished in 15^th place in the Eastern Conference last season with a record of 30-36-16. Since losing in the Stanley Cup Final in 2021, they have missed the playoffs the past three seasons.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

BLUES Newcomer Dylan Holloway had two goals, including an empty netter, in Thursday night’s victory. Holloway has three goals and one assist thus far on the season, with all three tallies coming in the last three games. He is tied for first on the team in goals with Neighbours and Pavel Buchnevich.

CANADIENS Nick Suzuki was responsible for Montreal's two goals in Tuesday night’s game. The 25-year-old captain currently has seven points on the season with two goals and five assists. Last year he led the team in points (77) and goals (33).

BLUE NOTES

• Binnington stopped 40 of the 41 shots he faced for his second win of the season and the 147^th of his career on Thursday. It was the 14^th time in his career he has made at least 40 saves in a game. With his next win, he will match Jake Allen (148) for second on the Blues' all-time franchise list.
• Neighbours scored his third goal of the season on Thursday. He has four points in his last four games (three goals, one assist).
• Jordan Kyrou’s six assists on the road this season share first in the NHL (Evgeni Malkin/Anthony Cirelli/Kirill Kaprizov/Cale Makar), while his eight road points (two goals, six assists) this season share third in the NHL (1. Nikita Kucherov/Kaprizov, 9).